President Andy Browne called the meeting to order. Dennis Palmer led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, Caitlin Terry performed the 4 Way Test and Pastor Heather Sugden gave the invocation. Alicia Fichera was our notetaker.
Guests included: Bill Mercantini, Primo Centuolo (Preston’s oldest son), Trinity Miskelley (summer intern for Big Brothers Big Sisters) Prospective new member Gerri Brosh and first time attending Associate Member Dana Fantini from Don Daigle’s office (Charles Schwab).
Frank Rumick presented Josie Spinelli with $5 Rum Bucks in appreciation for all she does for Vineland Rotary.
Josie then used her Rum Bucks for Happy Dollars and doubled it. There were a lot of happy Rotarians as Sherry Soutiere and Frank collected from our happy members.
Dave Schad thanked everyone who volunteered at the Challenger League! The kids had fun and it was a great day!
Gail Marino received a thank you from Code Blue! They wanted to thank the “Salad Ladies” for all they do and making such a difference in the lives of those who depend on this event.
And a reminder -- The Changeover dinner is 6/20, save the date! An official invite is coming your way soon! Check your email!
Our Program
President Andy introduced Bill Mercantini.Bill is from Bordentown, he is the District Governor Nominee Designee for 3 more weeks then he will be the District Governor Nominee, next year District Governor Elect then finally it is his year. Billworked for 28 years in juvenile corrections. He came to talk about his son Nick. Nick was born in 1988. He was a heroin addict by the time he was 16. Bill lost Nick almost 3 years ago when he was 33. Nick could not find peace with himself. This situation brought Bill to his main discussion point -- Rotary 4 Recovery. In 2017 when his club made him President they told him he needed a goal. So he knew his son was struggling. The heroin epidemic has affected many communities, Bordentown being one of them. It is right on the rail line between Camden and Trenton. He made it his goal to help people in his town. He got a group of Rotarians together and they ran with the idea. They put together a walk for the cause.
This year, they will be having their 7th walk! They have generated about $15,000 over the 7 years of walks. They also had a major golf tournament that raised $40,000. They bought a licensed program and they go into schools to talk about all the forms of recovery. Recently they gave $8,000 worth of electric bikes to the police department. This will help keep the police presence on the streets in hopes of making a difference.
Bill came here to ask us what can our club do for OUR town? He suggested going to the Police Chief, local politicians to see what the need is in our specific area and act on it.
Nick's legacy for Bill is to just try to help. HELP YOUR TOWN!
To learn more visit: Rotary 4 Recovery at this web address:
The Phillies Strike Out Hunger game is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14th at 6:40 pm vs Florida Marlins. Tickets are $52.00 each for seats in Section 138 (these are the best seats available).
We try to order the best available seats. There are other seats available at lower prices.The Phillies are charging us $49.00 per seat plus $2.50 ticket fee per seat = $51.50 each plus a $ 4.50 fee for the order.
We are rounding off the cost per seat to $52.00 each.
The Phillies are donating $8.00 per ticket back to the Rotary Foundation.
If we want to sit together as a group, we need to place a special order ASAP for more than 12 tickets. Dave Schad is coordinating and would like to place our ticket order no later than June 11, 2024.
Tickets are ONLY issued electronically. Anyone ordering tickets will be required to provide an e-mail address and a cell phone number so the tickets can be sent to your phone.
For information or to sign up, contact Dave Schad at
You will be billed and expected to pay in advance for the tickets.
Dave can forward the ticket ordering information to anyone who wants to SEPARATELY order tickets for this game.There are specific instructions and codes for how to order tickets with the Rotary prices for the Strike Out Hunger Game.
worked for 28 years in juvenile corrections. He came to talk about his son Nick. Nick was born in 1988. He was a heroin addict by the time he was 16. Bill lost Nick almost 3 years ago when he was 33. Nick could not find peace with himself. This situation brought Bill to his main discussion point -- Rotary 4 Recovery. In 2017 when his club made him President they told him he needed a goal. So he knew his son was struggling. The heroin epidemic has affected many communities, Bordentown being one of them. It is right on the rail line between Camden and Trenton. He made it his goal to help people in his town. He got a group of Rotarians together and they ran with the idea. They put together a walk for the cause. 
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